SUMMER HOLIDAYS IN "THE WORLD'S CAPITAL" OF MANGOES: Devgad, Western Coast , Maharashtra, India

Ramesh and Meena, the young children of Keshav Mohite were running around the two benches where we sat, laughing and teasing each other. After watching them for a while Keshav asked them to be quite. The noon temperature must be around 37 degrees Celsius. Sitting under the shade of thick mango trees I didn't feel the scorch. I looked around. There must be more than 100 mango trees in Keshav's farm situated at Devgad.

"The Alphonso Mango Capital in India"! Devgad situated on the south western coast of Maharashtra had to its credit, the beautiful beaches and of being a largest producer of the finest variety of Alphonso Mangoes!
And I was there. Back after 4 months in Konkan region after my last visit with my friend Tommy Singh and his daughter Amrita. I had planned to visit the beaches of Devgad, Kunkeshwar and the sea fort of Vijaydurg. I saw two of Keshav's assistants walking towards us from the farm house with plates in their hands, a jute bag full of mangoes(I believed so) and a steel bowl. First we had Kanda Poha (fried spiced rice flakes with onion) and then mango cubes cut in a most professional way.
Wow! it was delicious, soft and sweet. A pleasant fragrant breeze had started ruffling through the mango trees. I saw an elderly figure walking towards us from the farm house which was about 100 yards from where we sat. Keshav got up and introduced the man to me.
'Meet doctor Abhayankar'. 'He is a leading physician of Devgad', Keshav said smilingly.
'Nice meeting you, sir', I reciprocated.
Joining us the doctor took a liberal helping of mangoes and started eating . I was inquisitive.
'Doctor, people say though the mango is a king of fruits, it has a very high calorie value and high sugar content. Some get blisters also. What's the medical opinion?, I quizzed.

The doctor looked at me for some time, kept his plate down, took a deep breath and as if addressing to public on his favorite subject, spoke-
'Boils and dermatitis? Nonsense!'
'You may get boils and dermatitis because of heat and moisture. The coastal area, you know. There is no scientific evidence of what you are alleging. It is a seasonal fruit and is packed with a lot of nutrients. So it is a great fruit to relish. A green mango has high content of vitamin C and as the fruit ripens, vitamin A content increases. It is a good antioxidant, boosts immunity. The pulp has a high fiber content. That's why it's named as "The King of Fruits". However, you should eat the fruit rather than juice as a glass of juice requires 5 to 6 mangoes. Yes, it has a high calorie value so eat few. Diabetics should be careful in eating mangoes. One or two fruits a day should not create any problem. Also, remove the skin. It's thick and not easily digestible. But the other fruits like bananas, chickoos or watermelon may have the same precautions. Isn't it?' "The king of Fruit"- Alphanso Mango is a delight. Be in limits and enjoy it!'

Yes, I thought. We just love to eat the sweet, juicy mangoes. Wait for its season, hot summer months when we look forward to the arrival of the first lot of Hapus (Alphonso) and if in north India, look for Dasheri mangoes of Lucknow or Banarasi Langda.
Great!
One way to eat mangoes is to cut any way you like. Mess up your hands and mouth while eating and enjoy! However for others, I'm giving below a web page which describes step by step how to cut mangoes.
Click to learn.

How to cut a mango: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/002078how_to_cut_a_mango.php

Route: Mumbai-Panvel-Chiplun-Sangmeshwar-Hathkhamba-Devgad (Time-8 hrs by road)

Stay (Kunkeshwar): Savli Resort. phone-91-2364-248614 ( 1 km from beach)

Based on source and picture included from: dated April 13TH, 2008, page 10: http://epaper.timesofindia.com